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Skyrim Tips: 17 Things You Must Achieve to Become the Ultimate Dragonborn

Updated: 05 Jul 2017 10:39 pm

The Dovahkiin...the last of the Dragonborn and Skyrim’s famed protagonist.

BY: Jacob Lewis

Becoming Skyrim’s Supreme Champion

As Skyrim’s last and only hope in the Elder Scrolls-prophesised Dragon-apocalypse, it’s up to you to rescue it’s 9 endangered holds from total annihilation. Becoming the Ultimate Dragonborn is a matter of figuring out how to best equip yourself for this monumental task – maximizing your powers and the benefits delivered to the people of the Nordic province. Also, how many Dragons you can kill. That’s also quite important.

Below is a list of 17 things you must do to fully fulfil your predestined position as Skyrim’s Ultimate saviour.

17. Enchanting

Top 9 Best Weapon and Armor Enchantments in the Elder Scrolls Skyrim Remastered #PumaCounts

You can best prepare for certain quests by carefully planning appropriate enchantments for the weapons and armour you’re going to use.

In addition to crafting your gear to your liking as Skyrim’s hero-to-be, you can shape your equipment post-Smithing via magical enchantment. Provided you’ve invested skill-points into Enchanting, you’ll be able to attune weapons, armour, and jewellery with extra-in-built abilities – making them all-the-more powerful.

If you thought your newly crafted set of Dragonplate armour was already a beastly bulwark against Skyrim’s many random Dragon-attacks, try enchanting it with 50% fire resistance. Now you’re even more immune.

16. Specialize in Skill-trees

Skyrim Get Every Perk

The skill archetypes. Skyrim has over 18 skill-trees – but it’s better to plan and specialize in unlocking a particular set of perks in order to attain its maximum power.

While it might be tempting – with the 18 skill-trees at hand – to just buy up whatever Perks seem immediately inviting, it’s better to specialize in skill-trees. In doing this, you can maximize your powers in one field - rather than stretching your abilities too thinly (as say someone new to RPGs might do).

It’s better to just have Master perks in Destruction magic – enabling you to disintegrate your foes with Destruction spells at reduced Magicka costs – than it is to have Novice perks in Conjuration, Destruction, Restoration and so on. Choose 3 or 4 skill-trees to specialize in to begin with, maxing out those fields before moving onto other skillsets.

15. Join the Thieves Guild

SKYRIM - 5 Thieves Guild Secrets (Elder Scrolls Lore & Facts)

The Thieves Guild are patrons of Nocturnal – and joining them will grant you material gain.

While not the most heroic of Guilds, joining the Thieves’ Guild is a stepladder to potentially massive amounts of gold and loot for the Dovahkiin. In joining the Thieves Guild, you’ll be able to sell stolen gear – this previously being an impossibility – to Thieves Guild “Fences” in cities, while Thieves Guild vendors will also carry up to 4K Gold.

When these two things are combined: you’ll be able to market all goods you’ve stolen in your travels, enabling you to buy new gear, soul gems (for enchantments), magic, pay bribes, and so on. With wealth comes power

14. End the Civil War

Skyrim Mod: Civil War Overhaul

Skyrim’s civil conflict is yet another issue best-solved by a hero of the Dragonborn’s magnitude.

Amidst Skyrim’s end-of-world turmoil lies another, more local conflict. The civil war – between the nationalist Stormcloak rebellion and imperialist Imperial Empire – further weakens the province, leaving its peoples even more vulnerable to the end-times. Win the war for either side to cement yourself further as a champion – racking up more heroic deeds under your belt – while winning more favours and power from the winning side.

13. Kill the Dragon Priests

Skyrim Lore: Dragon Priest Secrets!

Generally seen guarding Word-walls, killing the Dragon Priests is another way of unlocking sizeable power – and weakening Alduin’s horde.

Aiding the Dragons are the resurrected souls of men who allied themselves with Alduin when he first invaded Tamriel. These are otherwise known as the Dragon Priests. Killing them will both yield you new Word-Walls – from which to draw knowledge of Shouts and thus more power – and powerful Dragon Priest masks.

Once you’ve collected the eight Dragon Priest masks, you’ll be able to unlock a powerful secret contained in a Sanctuary room somewhere outside of Labyrinthian. The ninth Dragon Priest mask should prove a powerful tool while questing.

12. Deal with The Forsworn

Skyrim Builds - The Forsworn

The rightful people of The Reach? Or mere savages? Either way, you’ll reap rewards in dealing with The Reach’s conflict.

Amid the two major conflicts boiling things up in Skyrim (the civil war and the return of the Dragons) lies a third conflict – this one local to The Reach. The city of Markarth is amid a conflict between its Nordic settlers and the original people of The Reach – now known as the Forsworn.

Win either the Armor of the Old Gods or the Silver-Blood Family Ring by either freeing the Forsworn from Cidhna Mine or ending their rebellion.

11. Join the Mages Guild

Skyrim - All Rare & Unique Spells

The College of Winterhold…by enrolling, you can ally yourself with a school of powerful witches and wizards.

While you might not have specialized in skill-trees related to a Mage’s field of work, joining the College of Winterhold will still yield many powerful benefits. Provided you at least know Firebolt, Fear, Fury, Magelight, Healing Hands, Conjure Flame Atronach, Conjure Familiar, or Fireball you should be able to join.

Once in: you’ll be able to systematically win all sorts of magical loot, including the Staff of Magnus and Arch Mage’s robes, and more – all of which grant you many benefits.

10. Daedric Quests

Elder Scrolls - Top 10 Daedric Princes

Nocturnal – one of the 10 Daedric Princes and patron of Thieves.

While the fight against Alduin is undoubtedly a fight for the good of Tamriel: there are benefits to be reaped by siding with the shady, reviled Daedric princes of Oblivion. There are 15 Princes – and you’ll have the opportunity of encountering each one at various places in your travels.

Each encounter will gift you 1 of 15 main Daedric artefacts, including the Dawnbreaker sword, Mace of Molag Bal, Mehrune’s Razor dagger, and several others. All of these are unique and carry special powers and abilities.

9. Eliminate Miraak

Skyrim - Top 10 Dragon Priest Masks!

Miraak – the first of the Dragonborn, and a threat to the last Dragonborn..

With the addition of the Dragonborn DLC, you’ll find that not all the Dragonborns are destined for heroism. Miraak – the first of the Dragonborns, former Dragon Priest, and an enemy of both the peoples of Tamriel and the Dragons – is a threat to your efforts. For as long as he lives: his cult-followers will attempt to bring ruin to you, hunting you in packs across Skyrim.

End Miraak’s tyranny - by travelling to an isle off Morrowind called Solstheim – and you’ll end yet another threat to Tamriel. You’ll also win yourself Miraak’s sword, staff, and gear. Yet more additions to your power as Dragonborn.

8. Build Your Keep

Skyrim Hearthfire: Unique Features of the Homesteads

With the Hearthfire DLC comes the ability to build your own headquarters with your bare hands – good places to replenish yourself or hoard valuables.

With the addition of the Hearthfire DLC and housebuilding alongside it, you’ll have the opportunity to become so much more than just a roving hero. You’ll be able to build a keep of your own, somewhere out in the wilds of Falkreath, Hjaalmarch, and The Pale.

By building your own households you’ll be giving yourself a place from which to stage your quests in these regions, along with places of rest and repose.

7. Dragonslaying

Skyrim - Top 10 Dragons!

Dragons carry all sorts of rare loot…and it’s yours for the taking as regional Dragon-slayer.

As Dragonborn, it’s up to you to rid the realm of Alduin’s resurrected Dragon army. As well as the safety of the people of Skyrim, there are also several personal gains to be made from the slaughtering of Alduin’s warriors. Dragons are rather prone to dropping hundreds of Gold pieces, along with valuable pieces of armour, and Dragon bones (vital for crafting that fine set of Dragonplate armour). Killing them will also earn you Dragon Souls – which are needed to purchase Shouts.

Dragons aren’t all that difficult to find nowadays either. A quick wonder around Skyrim will see you subject to random Dragon attacks – presenting you with targets aplenty. Failing that, you can find Dragons nesting in lairs high in the mountains (generally amidst Word-Walls), and at various points during the main quest.

6. Craft Your Armour

Skyrim: How to craft Ancient Nord Armour

You can craft a multitude of armours via Skyrim’s smithing system – wrought with anything from simple leather to Dragonbone.

While the archetypal Dragonborn figure is typically depicted in scant leather armour (sort of resembling Schwarzenegger’s depiction of Conan ) and horned iron helm, Skyrim’s Smithing system allows you to armour up impressively.

While there are many different armours at your disposal (with the right Smithing perks and raw materials in your inventory, of course), you might want to consider Dragonplate armour if you want to look the full-on Dragonslayer.

5. Craft Your Weapons

What is the Strongest Weapon you can Create in Skyrim?

A warrior needs his weapons…a Dragonborn is best off melding his own sword and shield.

Obviously, the supreme Dragon-slaying gentleman is going to need some fine armaments to boot. Via Smithing, the Dragonborn can craft some fine weapons, stats finely attuned to suit their slaying needs as the stakes are ramped up later in the game with increasing Dragon attacks.

As with the armour, you might consider the Dragonplate sword, bow, battleaxe, war axe, dagger, Greatsword, or mace.

4. Become Thane

Skyrim - Become Thane of Riften

Jarl Ulfriic of Windhelm…one of the nine Jarls you can earn the title of Thane from.

Thane is more than just a title. It’s a marker of how dedicated you’ve been in helping out Skyrim’s 9 holds. Meet the Jarls of Falkreath, The Rift, Eastmarch, Hjaalmarch, Haafingar, The Pale, The Reach, Whiterun, and Winterhold (each holed up in the capital cities of their respective holds), and you’ll have an opportunity to become righthand man/woman for each one.

In doing this: you’ll ally everyone of Skyrim’s holds with you, bringing you all the benefits of the titles of thane (including the right to own property in each hold as well as a unique companion to aide you). Becoming thane for each hold will help in yielding you as much power as possible.

3. Tame Yourself a Dragon

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn - Dragon Taming

Take to the skies, and have Dragons ferry you around – slaying your foes for you.

Killing Dragons is one thing – mastering them is another entirely. We won’t go spoil too much, but in the latter half of Skyrim’s questline you unearth a method of yielding dragons to your will by learning the Dragonrend Shout.

Once they’ve yielded to you, you can take to the skies and have complete dominion over the homeland of the Nords. Although you won’t have full control over the Dragon’s actions (it is a living thing and not a vehicle after all), it will fight for you and fly you from A to B. Obviously this’ll grant you a whole other level of ability and power.

2. Word Walls

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Word wall at Eldersblood Peak

Word Walls…each one is another step on the Way of the Voice – the art of the Dragonborn.

As Dovahkiin, you’re born with the unique capacity for learning Shouts – the language of dragons – within seconds (with non-Dragonborns like the Greybeards having to spend decades studying them before knowing them.)

To become as a powerful a Dragonborn as physically possible, you’ll want to exploit this capacity and learn as many Shouts as possible. Hunt down Skyrim’s multitude of Word Walls – stone walls containing knowledge of these Shouts inscribed into them – to become a reckoning force.

1. Join the Companions (Become a Werewolf)

Skyrim: ALL Werewolf executions and Death blows

Although the Werewolf is typically depicted as an evil creature, being one brings with it super-strength and savagery which can be applied to Skyrim’s fight against Alduin.

As the penultimate hero of Tamriel (at least in the era in which Skyrim takes place), it shouldn’t surprise you that we’re suggesting you join Skyrim’s heroes guild – The Companions. Upon joining the Companions, you’ll find yourself questing alongside other heroes as kin. Several of The Companions can be taken up as companions in your regular adventures, also.

There’s also a much more practical reason. Without wishing to spoil much, certain in-game events related to the Companions will eventually lead to your potentially becoming a Werewolf. As a Werewolf, you’ll essentially become a hulking, unstoppable creature, capable of ripping your foes from limb for a short period once a day. Obviously, this’ll prove a useful tool in ventures against Alduin.

As a 14+ square mile area rammed with locations, quests, creatures, and characters, there is no shortage of things to do traversing Skyrim. While the above 17 things might be necessary to become a dominating Dragonborn in a more linear sense, there are plenty of non-linear ways in which to squeeze fun out of this sizeable game. The best way in which to do this is – of course – to get out there and explore the many avenues of adventure the game has in store.

Looking for more Elder Scrolls info? Check out some of our other articles on TES V: Skyrim:

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